DarkWind's Story
by Celonhael
Summary: The gang learns about DarkWind's past:  Sesshomaru makes a bold move
1. Chapter 1

**_I have finally begin uploading my previous stories online, starting with my very first story, InuYasha's Test. I will upload every day until they are up to date with the ones here. Please see my profile for the addy ._**

It poured outside. The day was dark enough to need candles lit inside the small huts. Lightning occasionally flashed overhead, and the thunder that accompandied it was almost deafening. Trees boughs and leaves were bowed under the weight of the onslaught, the raindrops striking the ground so hard they almost seemed to rebound, to dance just above the ground.  
It had been so dry for so long, the ground wasn't absorbing much of the water, and now the rains were washing away the desperately needed topsoil. Farmers huddled in their huts, and watched, dismayed and anxious, wondering how much more of their crops would be destroyed. The heat wave had already damaged this years' crops badly. Now they were threatened by this sudden, torrential downpour.  
Sango glanced over her shoulder as she carried a candle into the central room. InuYasha and Miroku were kneeling by the doorway, the doorflap pulled back and held in place while the two men worked. The wind gusted in around them, causing the monk's robes, and the hanyou's hair, to swing wildly. More than once InuYasha cursed loudly, grabbing a handful of his hair and holding it aside so he could see.  
They had small bags of sand they were placing directly in front of the doorway, trying to create a lip that would stop the water from seeping in over the doorlip and into the hut.  
After a shore while, they both stood up, brusing off their hands.  
"There," InuYasha said, pulling the doorflap back and tying it down, "That should work, unless the rains last all day."  
"If only we had had this rain before, " Miroku said, moving to the window and pulling it shut, also tying it in place, "When it could have been of some benefit to the farmers."  
"Yes," Sango agreed, "Now it's just going to wash away the seed. This is going to be a terrible winter."  
"If it ever comes," InuYasha said, yanking shut the last shutter, casting the hut into deep shadow, "There should already be snow on the ground."  
Sango put the candle on the small table, and reaching into her backpack, pulled out another package of them. She opened them, removing one, shaking her head, "I don't know what we'd do if Kagome didn't keep us so well stocked."  
"We're depending on her more and more for food as well," Miroku said, his voice sounding a little worried.  
"It's getting harder to find any to buy," InuYasha took a handful of the white candles Sango offered, and started lighting them from the first on the table. He walked about, setting them here and there, on shelves, tables, ledges...anywhere it was safe to do so, "The farmers are just making enough now to feed their own families."  
"Well...at least we know she has money to get the things we need," Miroku said, easing himself down on the floor before the small table, "A good thing our money today seems to be worth more in her world."  
InuYasha had told them of how he had been able to exchange some of his golden coins for a large amount of the weird paper money from Kagome's world. She no longer had to buy their supplies herself.  
"I exchange the money that time I went back and it was that big celebration for Kagome having passed her exams...though I still don't see why old things in her world are valuable. Did you know her mother got that job at that Moo-seeum place?"  
"Oh did she?" Miroku smiled, "Wonderful. I remember showing up there by accident...all of us, during that strange holiday called Halloween. Remind me again...what's a Moo-sesum?"  
"You got me," InuYasha said, seating himself next to Miroku, "From what I can gather from Kagome, it's a place where people put old things on display, and other people pay money to go look at them."  
"That...sounds very strange," Sango said, sitting across from the two men.  
"You saw her world, it's _all_ strange," InuYasha answered.  
A small door in the back of the main room slid open, and Kagome slipped out, carrying a candle.  
"I can't believe how dark it is!" she exclaimed.  
"How is he?" Sango asked softly.  
"He's resting again. He wants to get up, but I ordered him to stay put for a while longer. He's still so pale."  
"But getting better?" Miroku asked.  
Kagome nodded, smiling at him. Since the Kageri had broken the unpardonable sin of disobeying a Master...thereby cursing himself...save the monk's life, Miroku was keeping a close eye on DarkWind. The guilt Miroku felt about the constant distrust and outright hate he had shown DarkWind, only have the Kageri willingly sacrifice himself for him, was almost overwhelming. He had already promised to do what he could in finding out how to possibly help DarkWind regain his powers.  
For his part, DarkWind simply seemed happy to be back with them again, no longer belonging to Naraku. Taken back as a Kageri even though he was Broken, and having the kindly monk making overtures of friendship left DarkWind almost glowing with happiness.  
InuYasha, however...  
Kagome put her candle down, and sat beside Sango, joining the others. She kept her eyes on the candle flame, not wanting to look towards the hanyou.  
InuYasha had retreived the chain she had needed to re-bond herself to DarkWind. She knew how much he hated DarkWind...and how eagerly he must have wanted to help hurry him along...away from her. But for her, he had gone down, deep into the dark, cold part of the lake to bring it back for her. It had taken him several tries, but he had done it.  
For her.  
His voice came to her again, _"Remember...when he's gone...**I'll** still be here.  
I'll always be here._  
_I know you will, InuYasha,_ she thought, sadly.  
There was a sudden knocking on the doorframe near the tied-down doorflap, and everyone jumped.  
"Who on earth is out in this?" Sango cried, lunging towards the door.  
Hurriedly untying the doorflap, she threw it back, admitting the person outside to rush in, cloak pulled up over their head. SAngo quickly re-tied the doorflap.  
At first they thought it was a man, from the height alone, but when the person straightened, and removed their cloak from about their head, they were startled to see Izumi.  
"Izumi!"  
"This is quite the storm we're having!" the woman exclaimed, untying her dripping cloak.  
"Here, give me that," Sango murmured, taking the cloak from the woman, and hanging it where their own things hung, dripping on the floor in the corner of the room.  
"Thank you, dear." Izumi looked around at the group, the storm having brought out the colour in her cheeks; her eyes seemed to sparkle, "I haven't seen a storm like this in a while!"  
"Surely you didn't walk, Lady Izumi?" Miroku asked gently, "In this weather?"  
"I did walk, yes, though not too far. Though there was a moment there I thought I was going to get airborn!"  
InuYasha watched her, as usual feeling strange when in Izumi's presence. At first he had seen her only as some sort of distant guild who was supposed to be showing them their way in this upcoming war. The War of the Twilight Lands, she called it. But after seeing how she had come to care for his mother and father, how she grieved for their passing...how she had wanted to raise InuYasha as her own...had even faced her own Goddess in fury when denied...it was harder and harder _not_ to see Izumi as...family. Like an Aunt.  
Oba Izumi.  
And that was one of the strangest feelings InuYasha had ever known.  
Miroku and Sango made room for her gathered around the little table, and Kagome asked if she would like some tea.  
"No thank you, dear," Izumi said, brushing back her long black hair, "I think I have had enough water today."  
Kagome weakly chuckled, blushing.  
"So," Izumi looked directly at Kagome, "How is DarkWind?"  
Everyone blinked.  
"How did you hear of - " Miroku broke off his sentence, feeling foolish, "Ahh...yes. Excuse me."  
Izumi smiled kindly at Miroku, "I heard it on the wind. He's alright, though?"  
Kagome nodded, "He is, yes. Resting now, but...Izumi?"  
"Yes, dear?"  
"You...you know so much...do you know about Kageri?"  
Izumi smiled in the candlelight, "I do."  
"Then...will DarkWind be ok?"  
Izumi was quiet, then spoke gently, "That depends on what you mean by _ok_, dear."  
"Well...will he stop being ...a...a Broken?"  
Izumi studied Kagome, and spoke softly, "That is something I do not know. Because, Kagome, there has _never_ been a Kageri that became Broken, that was re-bonded with someone."  
Kagome blinked, "What, _never_?"  
"Never. As you can see, his symbol is damaged. It is no longer complete. That marks him as a Broken...but he is rebonded with you. So...while I can not say for certainly...I _think_ he will not get any worse. He will stay this way, now."  
Kagome nodded, relieved.  
"But having _been_ a Broken...he lost a great amount of his powers. He will never be as strong, Kagome. You need to remember that."  
Kagome frowned, "I don't care. Even with only half his powers, he's more powerful than anyone el-"  
"That's not what I mean, dear. DarkWind is still bound to you. He will still expect to be your Kageri. He is going to try and do what he always did.  
You are going to have to make sure he does not injure himself. Or worse."  
Silence.  
Kagome nodded.  
"What I don't understand," Miroku said, "Is how Naraku managed to have _two_ Kageri bound to him. I didn't think that was possible."  
"Nor did I," Izumi frowned.  
InuYasha leaned in, "What were they talking about, anyway? DarkWind and BloodStar? Something about a Spire, and traitors, and..."  
Izumi spoke gently, "That is DarkWind's past, and everyone holds their past close to them."  
InuYasha looked away.  
"Kagome, may I peer in at him?"  
Kagome blinked, "Oh yes, of course!"  
Izumi nodded, slowly rising. Brushing the hem of her gown, she looked at InuYasha, "Come with me, dear."  
InuYasha looked back, blinking, "Huh?"  
Izumi smiled softly, "Come with me."  
InuYasha blinked at her again. He wasn't interested in going to visit the Kageri...but he couldn't exactly say no to Izumi, either.  
Rising, he followed behind her, figiting slightly.  
Izumi slid open the door, and stepped in, waiting for InuYasha to join her, before sliding the door shut again.  
DarkWind lay on the floor on a pallet, covered with a blanket. He was still pale, but not nearly as much as he had been two days ago. His black hair and black marking around his eye look stark against his skin. The strange marking around his right eye...the thing Kagome said looked like something called The Eye of Horus...was broken. It was as if someone had cut across the mark, and it had pulled apart before healing, a neat, straight line of skin breaking up the pattern.  
Hearing the door open and close, the Kageri opened his eyes, and blinked to see Izumi and InuYasha standing there. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, "Lady Izumi and InuYasha-Warrior?"  
"Hello DarkWind," Izumi spoke gently, a smile on her face. She stepped forward and knelt beside him, "How are you feeling?"  
"In truth I am doing much better now, but Nushi insists I remain lying here. I am...very bored, though."  
Izumi chuckled, "I can imagine. But I think one more day will be enough resting for you. Then you can tell Kagome I think you should be up and about."  
"That is most welcome news." DarkWind looked from Izumi, to where InuYasha was standing back by the door. He nodded his head to him.  
InuYasha crossed his arms, looking away.  
"I owe you a great deal, InuYasha-Warrior," DarkWind said quietly, "Nushi has told me you had to dive several times to return the chain to her. I am in your debt."  
InuYasha didn't turn his head, but slid his eyes to regard the Kageri, "I don't want to be in your debt. I want you gone."  
Izumi was silent, saying nothing. In a case like this, directness was best, even if dealt with InuYasha's usual bluntness.  
DarkWind nodded sadly, "I know. I can feel it very strongly. But I still assure you, I mean Nushi no harm."  
InuYasha said nothing, just looked away.  
DarkWind spoke gently, "I am sorry you dislike me so much. I had hoped we could one day be friends."  
InuYasha blinked, and turned, looking at him. He kept his voice low, so the others outside couldn't hear.  
"_Friends_? Don't hold your breath. Everything was ok betw-."  
DarkWind spoke, "Yes. You see me as...being between you and Nushi."  
InuYasha's face colored, but with anger, "I had a _chance_ before you showed up. It was small, but it was a chance."  
"InuYasha," Izumi murmured.  
But InuYasha stepped forward, his face angry. His fangs flashed in the candlelight, "I always thought I was powerful, you know that? That I was strong. That I could handle anything. And even when I faced stronger demons, I could usually manage to get by somehow. Then _you_ showed up, and I couldn't even _hit_ you! You kept dissapearing and reappearing when I tried! You picked me up and threw me to one side like I was some _kid's toy_! And if that wasn't bad enough, you told me _you_ were there to protect her! I wasn't needed!"  
DarkWind stirred, "I never said-"  
_"You implied it!"_ InuYasha hissed, suddenly raising a fist, _"and you did it in front of her, didn't you!_ So don't suddenly expect me to shake your hand and call you friend like Miroku has!"  
Silence.  
"Don't get me wrong..." InuYasha spoke again, his face suddenly going impassive, turning slightly as if none of it mattered to him anymore, "I'm grateful you saved Miroku. I owe you for that. But let's just leave well enough alone and keep up our little charade of pretending to be able to get along. Alright?"  
DarkWind was silent. He looked at his hands, folded in his lap, looking like he had been chastized.  
InuYasha turned, and slid back the door. Without waiting for a word from Izumi, he stepped out, and closed the door behind him.  
Izumi spoke very softly, "I am sorry about that, DarkWind."  
The Kageri nodded, "It is fine, Lady Izumi. I can see what he is saying. There is much love between them."  
Izumi spoke softly, "Does Kagome still love him, DarkWind?"  
The Kageri looked at her, thoughtful, then nodded, "I believe so, yes. But she has it hidden away so deeply, she does not even know it is there. Or if she does...she instantly shoves it into the shadows the moment she senses it. I...I wish she would tell him...or at least give me leave to, but..."  
"She has refused."  
"Yes, Lady Izumi."  
Izumi nodded, not bothering to correct the Kageri on her title. While always explaining she was no lady and could not claim the title, she understood with DarkWind it was his way of adding titles to names, like "Miroku-monk", or "InuYasha-Warrior", and so did not mind.  
Izumi looked up at DarkWind, and spoke softly, "Do I have your permission, DarkWind, to show them of your beginning?"  
DarkWind blinked, shocked.  
"I think it might do InuYasha, and Kagome some good. She has many questions about you that you cannot answer. But if I show them..."  
DarkWind looked back at his hands, suddenly pale again.  
"I...will take no part in it?"  
Izumi shook her head, "You will sleep, in here, and I will show them. I will explain they are to speak of nothing they saw."  
Silence.  
Izumi spoke, "I understand the pain it causes, having your wounds exposed to the light after so long."  
He looked at her, "You are certain it is necessary?"  
"I truly believe it is, yes."  
DarkWind looked back to his hands, and then closed his eyes.  
"One of the things I love about Nushi is that when she looks at me, she sees me almost as an equal. If she sees...that will be gone. She will never look at me the same way again."  
Izumi nodded, "That is a risk, yes. They will see who you were. And who you still _are."_  
It was very quiet. The rain continued to hiss outside, the wind whistling loudly.  
DarkWind opened his eyes, but did not look at her, "For them, then. Yes. Show them of my past. Of what happened."  
Izumi laid her hand on his shoulder for a moment, then rose. She slipped out through the door, and slid it shut behind her.


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome watched as InuYasha walked out, and sat down again. His face was impassive, almost cool, but there was something flickering in his eyes, and she fought back the impulse to sigh.  
Miroku, feeling the uncomfortable silence, cast about for something to break the silence.  
He was saved from doing it when the door slid back and Izumi walked out. The four of them looked up.  
InuYasha looked at her, and then grew uneasy. She had that look, the same one she wore when she answered some of their questions, a time that seemed so long ago. Questions she knew they wouldn't want the answers to, but that they needed to hear.  
"How is he?" Kagome asked.  
"Resting, as you said." Izumi walked over, and knelt by the little table again. She seemed to be staring at it, lost in thought for a few moments, and then she started clearing back the candles on the table.  
Blinking, Miroku and the others all moved, gathering up the candles for her, shifting them back to shelves or the floor, out of the way. It was apparent Izumi wanted the table for something.  
Once it was cleared off, Izumi spoke, holding out her hands, "There is something you all need to see. I have gotten his permission. It is vital, I think, for you all to watch this. Watch it closely, and understand."  
"_His_ permission?" Kagome said quietly, "Are you talking about DarkWind?"  
"I am."  
A small ball of light formed in between her hands, and she placed it on the tabletop as if it were a glowing baseball. It started to grow.  
InuYasha suddenly stood up, "I've got no desire to see anything he has to show."  
"Where will you go?" Izumi asked gently, "Outside?"  
The wind buffeted the side of the hut, as if making Izumi's point.  
InuYasha cursed, "I'd rather be out there than in here, that's for sure."  
The ball was now about the size of a beach ball, and still growing. Izumi kept her eyes on it, "InuYasha, sit down."  
"You heard me, I'm not-"  
_"Sit down."_ Izumi's voice, while not loud, was suddenly sharp, and very intense.  
InuYasha found himself suddenly sitting, having dropped in place in a second. He scowled. Izumi had one of _those_ voices that had you listening before you knew you were listening.  
The glowing ball was about two feet round now, and it slowed, and stopped growing altogether. Izumi sat back, regarding her handiwork, and nodded.  
"Now then...watch...and I will tell you a story."

Within the ball, images started to form. At first they looked like moving paintings, just squiggles of colour, but they quickly sharpened, and the images became clear.  
The place was somewhere in a mountainous region. Giant mountains, tinged a dark green, seemed to run everywhere. Where the mountains sloped away, huge fields and valleys, rich with grass and flowers grew. Glacial lakes ran down the mountains, crystal clear.  
The sky was a mixture of pinks and purples, with stars twinkling in it. From what Kagome could see, there were what looked like _planets_ visible in the sky. They were banded with colour, similar to Jupiter.  
In the very middle of the scene, was a massive structure. It looked like a tower, only it was enormous. Kagome thought it was wide enough around to house half of moder day Tokyo. It soared higher than anything she could have imagined, the top dwarfing some of the mountains on either side.  
A pure, brilliant white, it almost seemed to be made of lace and frost, delicate, fragile-looking loops and whorls and spirals graced the outside.  
Izumi spoke softly, "The Spire."  
Kagome leaned forward. DarkWind had spoken of something called The Spire. Had spoken of it with BloodStar as well.  
"Is it a castle?" Sango breathed, "It's so _huge_."  
"It is a world," Izumi said quietly, "It is the home of the Vangen."  
Miroku frowned, "The...Vangen?"  
"A people you will never have heard of, Miroku. Do not try to think of them. I can honestly tell you, you four here are a few of only a handful of humans in the entire world who has ever heard of them, much less seen them."  
The image shifted, zooming in to The Spire, soaring in through the window. The view followed a twisting path, up alabaster lanes, through windows that looked like they had been carved out of ice. And everywhere inside was colour.  
Blues, greens, reds, purples, yellows, oranges...every colour you could think of. Curtains, carpets, paintings, rugs, cushions, colour everywhere. Though nothing clashed, for each room they sped through had one colour as it's main theme. In this room there were only greens, from the darkest forest green to the lightest lime, to the palest ice green. Over here were reds, from crimson to the orange reds of iron rocks. There the blues of the sea seemed to be.  
The furniture was a mixture that seemed to defy Kagome's grasp. Tables, chairs, beds...both western and eastern styles, and then things that she was sure was furniture, but she could make no heads or tails of them. Some things made music that was so beautiful it almost brought her to the verge of tears, and then they would be swooping through another room where music was drifting from some strange object that made her think of all the times she had triumphed.  
Just when she starting thinking she was going to start getting motion sickness, the view slowed, and settled into one room.  
Here was a woman, seated at a table, reading some papers.  
At first glance, she looked human. Elegant, aged, grey hair pulled back in an exotic style of whorls and swirls. Earrings hung from her earlobes. She wore a lovely pale green robe decorated with runes or pictures or maybe just designs. Kagome's eyes didn't seem to want to really focus on them.  
After a closer look, though, one could see she was _not_ human. Very slender, and very pale, her eyes almost seemed a tiny bit too large for her face, her ears too small, though she was not unpleasant to look at. Her earlobes seemed to be a little longer than normal.  
Her hands, holding the papers, revealed there were two more joints in her fingers than a human had, almost making her fingers tentacle-like, but the skin was pale and soft. She had no fingernails.  
She put down the papers, and stood, and they suddenly realized she was easily 8 feet tall if not taller, and slender as a willow. She seemed to be elderly, yet there were no wrinkles on her face, and her eyes showed no sign of age.  
She moved to stand at a window, looking down, down, into one of the fields below.  
Izumi spoke, "That is one of the Vangen. Do not ask me what they are, for even I do not know, for they come from a world beyond those I know. They come from a world beyond Mother Amaterasu's control. They had their own Gods and Goddesses.  
Very powerful, more powerful than I, as powerful as Gods themselves, the Vangen were. Their own Gods, then, powerful beyond imagining.  
But their Gods and Goddesses, when they made the Vangen, only made a limited number. And as ancient as they grew...they were not mortal. They were dying out."  
Miroku spoke, "There were no children?"  
Izumi spoke, "The Vangen could not reproduce. There were no children."  
Kagome spoke softly, "What kind of Gods make people but don't let them have children? How do they go on as a race?"  
"They do not," Izumi spoke, "And as they grew older, they began to fear."  
As they watched, the door behind this tall, lovely, ancient lady opened, and two others entered.  
One was a woman, the other a man, and like the first, they were just human-like to be recognisible, but just non-human enough to seem strange. The two newcomers were as tall and slender as the woman. Kagome found herself wondering why, if they couldn't reproduce, they had been made as apparently male and female...but that certainly wasn't her place to ask.  
"Mallaki," the male said to the woman they had been watching, "The meeting is starting."  
"I know. Let us go, Yokali."  
Kagome frowned, leaning forward as they spoke, noticing her friends doing the same. THey hadn't said "Mallaki" and "Yokali", exactly, but that was close as they seemed to understand it.  
The scene changed, and now there was a large room, with about 12 of them all in there. Kagome noticed they all had different skin hues, but all were some shade of lavender, from a dark, vivid purple, to the one called Mallaki who seemed almost white. They were gathered around a table, talking.  
Arguing.  
"No! We were not given permission to do this!" one of the men was saying. His eyes were an alarming white, with no pupils or colour.  
The woman sitting next to him had two different coloured eyes, one green, the other orange, "We were not, but what choice did we have? Do you want us to die off, to vanish, leaving nothing behind? Do you want The Spire to be empty, only echoes moving through it's halls?"  
"Enough," Mallaki stood up, and all conversation ceased. Everyone looked at her , giving her their full attention, and it was apparent she was some sort of leader.  
"We have not been given permission from our Gods to do this. No. But they did not give us any choice. Two more of our numbers have vanished, leaving only their clothing behind, on their floors. Our time is running out.  
We have no children. We have seen enough of other worlds, now, to know that we are lacking what we need to go on. For whatever reason, our Gods did not see fit to allow us to continue. So we will take that matters into our own hands. We will make our own children."  
The strange, white-eyed man spoke, angrilly, "We will bring their wrath down on us! Besides, we do not even know if we can do this! Even trying will anger them! I say no! We do not do this!"  
Arguments started up again, arguments for, and against, their plans.  
"It does not matter!" another woman, a dark purple with red eyes exclaimed. Her hair was black and very short, "We are arguing over something we do not yet even know can be done!"  
Mallaki spoke quietly, "It can be done."  
Silence. Everyone looked at her.  
"But how can you be so sure, Mallaki?"  
A pause, and then the older woman spoke, "Because I have already done so."  
The silence was palpible. Everyone gaped at her. The white-eyed man rose from his chair, "What? You have done _what_?"

The scene shifted. The 12 of them were in a smallish room, crowded in. The room was in all shades of orange, save for a white rug on the floor. Everyone stood, staring at what looked like a large glass sphere in the middle of the room.  
Within that sphere, was DarkWind.  
He was floating in some sort of liquid, crystal clear. He was naked, his long hair unbraided and floating gently. His face was peaceful, as if asleep, dark lashes against his cheeks. There was no mark on his face.  
"How...how did you...?"  
"That, I will show you all, if you so desire."  
"You made him from yourself, didn't you?"  
Mallaki nodded, "With some changes, of course. He will be able to reproduce. I suggest we all ensure that of our children, or they will face what we face now, at a later date."  
The white-eyed man was livid, "You made him from yourself! Does he have your powers, then?"  
Mallaki said nothing for a moment, then spoke, "He is my child."  
"And how do we know he won't turn on us the moment he emerges? Mallaki, you are the eldest of us. The Gods made you first. You have the most power of us."  
Mallaki frowned, "He is a child. I will teach him right from wrong."  
The white-eyed man shook his head, angry, "And what if he accidentally destroys us all while you are teaching? I do not think he will do so willingly, but you are taking all your powers and putting them in the hands of a child. We have seen children from other peoples. We understand that children do not understand serious things.  
We need to discuss this, Mallaki."  
The scene darkened out, and Izumi spoke, "They voted. Mallaki was not allowed to vote. It was decided that since Mallaki was the eldest, and the most powerful, her creation would not be allowed to awaken. He would remain asleep, for while they couldn't risk waking him up, they still loved him, and could not simply destroy him.  
And so he stayed there, asleep...and centuries passed.  
The next scene was of the Spire, and now there were two types of people walking about. The Vangen...and others.  
Kagome knew they were Kageri...but none of them _looked_ like Kageri. None had the symbols on their faces, or the strange cloth gauntlest, so like Miroku's, that marked them as Kageri. Yet they flew about, talking, laughing. The Vangen looked so happy, so joyous. Although "born" at roughly the age of 18, the new people were like children in that they were full of life. Happy, laughing, playing, chasing each other around.  
Izumi spoke, "Time passed. Mallaki grew angry and was full of hurt. While she delighted in the children they had made, she had put all her heart and soul into her own, and although the eldest, he slept.  
And so one day, in secret, she woke him.  
Once awoken, he could not be sent back. They could not kill him, and so he entered their world."  
Izumi's voice came again, "There was a great happiness. The young ones had few boundaries, were free and wild in a way most of us can never understand. They lived in what was, for them, a paradise."  
Another scene. Now there were a great many of the Vangen's children, out on the great plains. Like the Vangen themselves, the children came in many colours and hues, but they all appeared to be a cross between demons or humans in appearance.  
They were playing.  
But these children played with toys no one had ever imagined. One "child", a young man with vivid red hair with a black streak in it and green eyes, rose into the sky. His clothing, consisting of crimson robes, flapped about his feet as he rose. Raising a hand, he conjured up a massive ball of fire, hovering a foot above his hand. It crackled with energy. A huge smile on his face, he twisted, and threw it with all he had.  
It angled downwards, racing towards another "child", this one a woman with dark blue hair and eyes, her ears pointed as a demons. Laughing, she "caught" the fireball in her hands, and turned, tossing it in the air, above her head. It seemed to ripple, and then exploded into a ball of multihued butterflies, spreading out around her like flying rainbows.  
To the side were two others, racing across the open plains on bare feet, two young men, laughing. They literally seemed to fly, passing speeds that were unbelievable, and yet they laughed at their play.  
"The others...the other "children" seemed drawn to Mallaki's child, right away. It was as if they recognised, somehow, that he was the eldest of them, although awake the shortest amount of time. They seemed to listen to him, to defer to him."  
The scene changed. Here they saw the one they knew as DarkWind, only different. He was standing in a long, ornate hallway, talking to the others. They gathered around him, smiling, laughing. Mallaki's child drew them to him as if a beacon. And he was happy, and light-hearted. A young woman walked up to him, talking, and Kagome instantly recognised her as the Kageri...or once-Kageri, she had seen in that village. Here her hair was almost a midnight blue, her skin a lighter colour, eyes seafoam green. There were two small gills just under her ears, pears gracing her neck. Kagome saw how they smiled at each other.  
Kagome was instantly reminded of how the Wolf Demons deferred to Kouga, gathering around him, always watching him, smiling. There was that same deferrence to the one she called DarkWind. And she noticed how often he smiled.  
"The others saw this, and grew worried. For while Mallaki's child was not angry or violent, Mallaki, unlike the others, made him with no restraints.  
The others all had certain powers given to them. Some had the power over water, others plants. But Mallaki's child seemed to have power over many things."  
The scene changed, and now it showed Mallaki standing in a large room, tending to some plants. The door behind her opened, and the one Kagome knew as DarkWind entered.  
It was strange seeing him like that. He wore his boots and pants, as usual, and his vest, but he had no markings of a Kageri, and his hair was long and loose, much like InuYasha's.  
"Mallaki!" his voice was younger, too, happy and bright, "Here you are!"  
The older woman, Mallaki, turned, and smiled. She seemed older, though again it was hard to say how. No wrinkles...but she moved slower. Almost as if afraid if she bumped into something a piece of her would break off.  
"Ahh StrongWind, there you are."  
_StrongWind,_ Kagome thought.  
"I have been looking for you. Why are you not outside in the sunlight with the others?"  
"I had to tend my plants, StrongWind. They are ready for planting now."  
The plants in the pots were unlike anything Kagome had seen anywhere. They looked like something you expect to see growing on Mars.  
"Let me carry that," StrongWind picked up the entire tray with ease, and carryed it to the window, where the natural light would help her.  
Mallaki chuckled, "Why are you not with the others? I think DawnStar has been looking for you?"  
"She has?" StrongWind looked pleased, almost blushing.  
"I think so, yes."  
StrongWind adjusted some of the plants on the tray, "I...did not wish to stay outside today."  
There was a silent, and Mallaki spoke softly.  
"They are talking again."  
StrongWind nodded, his face pale.  
"I suppose it is to be expected. When we made you all...we gave you our powers. But you do not have our years, and it is understandable you all feel a need too...break away."  
StrongWind shook his head, angrilly, "They speak of walking away from The Spire. Of turning their backs on you all. Some even..."  
Mallaki turned, regarding her "child" closely, "Yes?"  
StrongWind shook his head, then spoke, "Some even speak of claiming The Spire for their own."  
Mallaki looked agast, "What? Who?"  
StrongWind looked away, "BrightStar, and others. They say...they are more powerful than you now. That you should...go to the lower levels."  
Mallaki looked furious, "Do they? I will tell the others."  
"Mallaki...will there be trouble?"  
The old woman looked grim, "I fear so." 


	3. Chapter 3

The scene changed. Now the faces of the others, the Vangen, seemed drawn and anxious. They stood outside The Spire, gathered around, talking. The sky overhead seemed darker somehow, the pinks now angry reds, the violets dark purples. The mountains seemed to cast long, angry shadows.  
Kagome and the others saw that there was now two groups outside The Spire. One group consisted on Vangen and their children. The other group held only children. And through group held the _larger_ amount of children.  
Mallaki stood there, before the group of children and Vangen, and was speaking. The other group of "children" looked different. Their eyes were darker, somehow, their faces more cold. In the front was the one Naraku had, the one called BloodStar.  
Mallaki spoke, "Please. This is not necessary. We have created you because we love you. There is no reason you should feel you have to push us away. Let us guide you."  
The one called BloodStar shook his head, almost sneering, "You created us, yes, and gave us the best you all had to offer. But we have now surpassed you. We are as strong as you, if not stronger! Why should we stay here, bound to you? There are other worlds out there we can see! Other planes! Think of what we could do out there?"  
"BrightStar," Mallaki said quietly, "The other planes are not for us. The creatures that live there are weak and powerless against us. It would be wrong for us to go there. What would we do?"  
"If they are that powerless, we would do what we wanted," BrightStar laughed.  
StrongWind spoke up, "You are turning your back on who you are, BrightStar. We are the Vangen's Children. We are to inherit their knowledge. Why go to lesser realms when we have this? Surely you will not find anything more beautiful than The Spire?"  
BrightStar frowned, "StrongWind, you are the eldest of us all, the most powerful, and still you want to stay here? Don't you feel the pull of other worlds? Can't you feel them out there, calling?"  
One of the Vangen, the one with the all-white eyes, turned to Mallaki, "This is what I was talking about! They do not have the wisdom we were given! We cannot turn them loose on the outside worlds, they will kill without knowing what they are doing!"  
"Keep your thoughts to yourself, old man," BrightStar frowned.  
"The Gods are already angry at us!" the old man pointed up to the sky, "Look at how they change our world!"  
BrightStar regarded the sky, "All the more reason to leave."  
"Ungrateful wretch!" White-eyes yelled.  
BrightStar reached out, and angrilly shoved the old man, throwing him back onto his backside. The old man cried out.  
StrongWind stepped forward, angry, "Enough! You will show disrespect to the ones who made us!"  
"I will show them what respect they _deserve!_" I am thankful they made us, but I will not stay here doing nothing while they grow old and die!"  
BrightStar looked at StrongWind, and spoke, "Come with us, brother. We need you. You can lead us...I would not take that away from you. You will lead us into new worlds, where we could do as we wished, without anyone telling us what is right and what is wrong!"  
StrongWind shook his head, "No. Our place is here. Perhaps someday, when those who made us are gone, and we have gained their wisdom, we can leave The Spire and wander, seeking out new things. But until then we will stay here, and learn."  
BRightStar's face was intense, and he held out a hand, _"Please_, brother. Come with us."  
StrongWind shook his head, "I have said what I had to say."  
Another Child of the Vangen spoke up, a strange-looking male with long orange hair and bright blue eyes stepped forward. His face was angry, his fists raised.  
"They have corrupted you, StrongWind! But we are stronger than they are! Look! Look and see!"  
He raised a hand, holding it out towards the old man who was trying to stand. A pulse of orange colour, and the old man fell, a long jagged slash down his back, a greenish blood seeping out through his clothing. The old man shrieked in pain...a sensation he had never felt before.  
StrongWind turned to the other Child, and his face darkened in anger.  
_"How dare you!"_ he stepped forward, and raised a hand towards the other.  
There was a strange, black pluse of light from StrongWind's palm, and the other Child went hurtling backwards, shrieking, landing hard on his back.  
Mallaki helped the old man up, and stared towards the others, "Enough! Stop this!"  
BrightStar ran over to the other Child who had been struck, and knelt beside him. He called the other's name, taking his hand. After a second, he looked up, confused.  
"He will not answer. He has fallen asleep somehow."  
The other Children, even those who had not sided with BrightStar, including StrongWind, walked over, and stood watching the other Child worriedly.  
StrongWind knelt, and lightly shook the other one, "RedHeart? Wake up. I am sorry I struck you. You made me very angry. Come now, wake up."  
Mallaki walked to the group, pushing a few out of her way, and knelt. She reached out her hands to the one lying on the ground, her eyes worried. Around her the other Children, including StrongWind, watched her, a little anxious, but not worried.  
A strange look came over Mallaki's face, and she leaned back, gazing at RedHeart quietly. One of the other Vangen walked up, speaking worriedly.  
"Mallaki? He is not..."  
Mallaki nodded, closing her head and lowering her head, "He is."  
Silence. All the Vangen turned, and began to stare at StrongWind strangely, worriedly. Tense.  
StrongWind noticed this, and leaned towards the one who created him, "Mallaki? Why does he not wake up?"  
"Because he is dead, StrongWind."  
"And what is 'dead'?"  
"He is...gone."  
The other Children shifted, confused. He couldn't be dead, he was right there on the ground!  
"Gone?"  
"He is...do you remember what happened to Arula? How she...dissapeared?"  
The Children nodded, shifting again. Sometimes, the Creators vanished...only their clothing would be found, with a faint wisp of dust within. They were never seen again.  
"Is it like that. His body is here, but...he will never wake up again."  
"How did it happen?" StrongWind asked, innocently, looking upset.  
Mallaki looked into his face, not sure what to day. It was BrightStar who spoke, "You did it, StrongWind. When you struck him."  
StrongWind looked up at BrightStar, startled, "What? No, of course not. I hit him, yes...and it was wrong. I have never been that angry before. But I did not intend this!"  
"It doesn't matter," BrightStar said, "I've seen, on other planes, what they call Death. You can kill someone accidentally."  
One of the Vangen spoke sharply, "You have already been to the other planes?"  
But BRightStar did not answer. He was looking at StrongWind intently, but not angrilly, "You are the eldest, StrongWind, and there fore it is natural you have the right to remove those of us who do not fit. RedHeart should not have-"  
"No!" Mallaki cried, standing up, "You cannot do this! You must _never_ say those with power have the right to decide who lives and who dies! That is why we made you! Because we were not given that choice! You must not take it from others."  
BrightStar looked at her, angrilly, "We did not have the choice of being asked what _we_ wanted. Why do you think we would want to be here, when we can be out there?"  
"You will be!" Mallaki cried, "Just have patience, please! One day you will have our knowledge, and then you can go and do what you wish! But until then you must not leave this plane!"  
"Do you see?" BrightStar called to the others, "They try to shackle us that we are stuck here!"  
StrongWind continued to kneel by RedHeart's body, staring at his brother in shock and confusion. He had killed him? But he hadn't _meant_ to!  
Another Vangen stepped forward, this one shorter than the others, and with dark hair and eyes. He look angrilly at BrightStar, "That is enough!"  
BrightStar fell quiet, looking at the one who made him.  
"I gave my powers to you because I loved you, not because I wanted them turned on us. You are ungrateful and spoiled children!"  
BrightStar's face darkened. He looked at StrongWind once more, "We are leaving this place, brother. Walking away."  
BrightStar's creator spoke angrilly, "If you leave these planes, we will be forced to shackle you indeed! We will _not_ turn our creations loose on the other worlds!"  
BrightStar looked back, narrowing his eyes, "You are threatening us?"  
"I am warning you. If you leave The Spire, you will be shackled."  
"And in what manner will you shackle us, hmm?" BrightStar looked amused.  
The Vangen spoke coldly, "Do you think that because we are peaceful we are stupid? You were all created with a seed inside you, a seed that we can awaken at any time. And when that happens, your powers will no longer be your own. You truly _will_ become someone's slave, and you will call them master! You will be awake only at _their_ allowance, and you will wear the sign of the slave so that all who see you will know!"  
BrightStar blinked, shocked, then his face darkened again, "You lie! You cannot do that!"  
"Indeed we can. You will be what is known on the closest plane as "Kageri", BrightStar. Shadows. Because you will only be a shadow of your former self, helpless to your master who will be your source of light."  
Trembling, with a cry of rage, BrightStar lunged at his creator.  
The others, even those who sided with him, grabbed him, pulling him back. He struggled against him, screaming in fury.  
Mallaki stepped forward, and looked over all the Vangen's Children. She spoke, her voice clear.  
"The choice is made. If you wish to leave this plane, you will become what is know as Kageri. If you wish to leave The Spire, and live elsewhere, but on this plane, you will remain as you are. Only if and when you try to leave, will the seed within you blossom.  
You must choose now. Will you stay within the Spire? All those who voiced anger against us are still welcome to stay, and no reprecussions will be made against you. But know if you leave, you are no longer welcome here."  
The Children of Vangen milled about, some walking to stand with the Vangen, others walking and standing beside BrightStar. There was great sadness as some Vangen saw the very ones they had created walking from them.  
BrightStar, under control of himself again, looked again at StrongWind, "Join us. We _need_ you to lead us! We will follow you anywhere!"  
StrongWind spoke firmly, "I stay within the Spire, with my creators."  
BrightStar sneered, furious, "You fool!" He turned, and lunged into the air, leaving behind the valley and the Spire, and a great many Children went with him.

The image dimmed, and Izumi spoke again, "BrightStar and StrongWind have never spoken since. Each saw the other's actions as great betrayal. To StrongWind, BrightStar turned his back on those who made him. To BRightStar, StrongWind turned his back on his own kind, leaving them with out a strong leader. As BrightStar said, they would have followed him anywhere."  
Izumi looked around at the four young people watching her. She noticed, pleased, that even InuYasha was leaning in towards the glowing sphere, caught up in the story.  
"Years passed. The Vangen continued to grow older, and more dissapeared, simply turning into dust within minutes, only their clothing left behind. The Children who left The Spire lived far out in the mountains, having built their own city, and each left the other alone.  
Until one day. Everyone was shocked with how quickly, and how violently, the Lost Children attacked."

The scene shifted. Now it showed The Spire, the sky overhead an angry dark. There were no stars left, no planets, just blackness.  
Parts of The Spire were on fire, others were sooty and broken.  
Figure flew around outside The Spire, darting here and there, and as the image sharpened, they could see it was the Children. Battling each other.  
The Vangen remained inside the Spire, attending the damage as it formed, putting out fires and trying to reseal cracks. Despite their powers, they could not use them against other living things, even those attacking.  
The other Children took care of that.  
Fire flashed, lighting crashed. Great black orbs of energy flew back and forth, those getting hit screaming in pain and agony, falling to strike the ground hard. Faces were cut and burned. Dark blood flowed on both sides. Occasionally, a Child would fall, and would not move, would not stir.  
Would never stir again.  
Izumi spoke again, "You are used to wars, here, in these times. But this was the first war even seen on this plane. It was a battle of the Children of the Vangen, and it was horrible. Death came to those who should have been above it. There were a limited number of Children, and with each death, that number became fewer. The horror of it was astounding."  
Here, in the sphere, was StrongWind, flashing through the air, one hand raised, fingers crooked, a black ball of energy growing, swirling, forming. Spinning in place, he angled his arm, throwing it hard. It flashed out, and struck three other Children who were trying to tear open The Spire, sending them spinning away, screaming. They were burning with a black fire.  
He was clearly in command. The others came to him for instructions, and when he barked out an order, there was no hesitation. Fires were put out, charges were held back, and The Spire held.  
When both sides paused, gasping for breath, the great gates opened, and the Vangen walked out. Their faces were grim, their clothing sooty and torn. Some looked as if they could hardly walk.  
Izumi spoke, "And so began The Descent of the Children."  
Some of the Vangen in the group stepped forward, and closing their eyes, raised their hands.  
A wind blew up onto the plane, smelling of blood and scorched earth.  
The Lost Children, those who had defied their creators, who had attacked them, suddenly began to scream.  
Some fell on the ground, others staggered around, holding themselves as if they thought they were going to be torn open from within. They screamed for mercy, but no mercy was given them.  
And as Kagome and the others watched, they began to _change_.  
Hair darkened to dark browns or blacks, no matter what colour it had been. Long hair instantly was bound. Long flowing robes of silks were replaced with utilitarian clothing of sturdy cloth, clothing of slaves or vassals. Strange marks formed on their faces; tribal-looking marks on cheeks, necks, around eyes or mouths. They flared into being, and then faced out, almost vanishing completely. But pale grey marks of them remained.  
They fell or staggered, gasping from the pain, from some strange change that had happened inside them.  
A male Vangen came forward, his face saddened, but firm. He was the one who had created BrightStar, and he spoke.  
"No longer are you Children of Vangen. Now you have become what we warned. You are Kageri. You are banished from this plane, and must find you own way in the worlds beyond this, with little to no power. If you wish to be awake in the other worlds, to see and learn, you must be bound to one of the beings that live there. You will be a slave to them, alert and awake only while you are useful. When they are finished with you, when you have done what they need, you will be returned to sleep, until you are needed again."  
BrightStar staggered up, glaring at his creator, "This will not stop us! We will-"  
"You will do nothing, BloodStar. You are a slave now. Banished from this plane at once."  
"I am BrightStar!"  
"No. You lost your name when you lost our grace. You shed blood willingly, and so BloodStar you are. Go now. You are no longer welcome here."  
Furious, BloodStar backed up, and glaring at StrongWind, turned. He fled into the sky, and the Lost Children who have lived, now called The Kageri, fled with him.

Izumi spoke, "Those Children who remained with the Vangen kept their powers, and were not Kageri. They tried to return to their way of living, but the battle had taken a great deal out of the Vangen, and they began to die faster. More and more were found as only small wisps of dust in clothing.  
Now the Children found themselves in the role of caring for their creators. Some became too weak to move from their beds. The Children walked about The Spire feeling lost and frightened.  
StrongWind rallied them, giving them chores and raising their spirits, but even he was afraid.  
One day there Mallaki came to him with fears that The Kageri had somehow managed to return to their plane. The Vangen had felt something on a nearby plane. He promised to check it out, and given permission by the Vangen, left his home plane for the first time."  
Izumi continued, "StrongWind saw a great deal in that other plane, and he found a trace of the Kageri, though only a small one. They had either tried to enter this plane and been unable to, or had only passed through on their flight out.  
He returned...and everything had changed."

Now the scene shifted. The sky was an angry red, almost seeming to pulse. Heat ripples seemed to rise up from the ground and rock. The mountains were an ugly black.  
StrongWind flew through the air, his form a wavery smear as he moved through the heat waves. His long hair rippled behind him as he flew.  
The Spire, when it came into view, was destroyed. The upper levels had all been sheared away completely, huge jagged cracks in the sides revealing lower levels. Here and there the discarded clothing of fallen Vangen could be seen, that which wasn't burned to a cinder. Thunder rolled in the background, and what looked like burning, jagged rocks tumbled from the sky here and there, to strike The Spire and the grounds.  
StrongWind called her name, darting around falling rocks, seeming to _flow_ in through a remaining window.  
Mallaki was lying on the floor in what remained of her rooms, her long grey hair fanned out around her. A fire had recently swept through, destroying a great deal. Her clothing was singed.  
"Mallaki!" he cried, running over to her. Kneeling, he gently grasped her, turning her own.  
Her pain-filled eyes opened, and focused on him, "Strong..Wind."  
"Mallaki, what has happened? Where are the others? What has happened with The Spire!"  
"Destroyed. The others...gone."  
"The Kageri!"  
"No, my beloved one. We finally went too far. Angered our Gods beyond their forgiveness."  
"I don't understand? What have they done?"  
She slowly crawled to a sitting position, her voice weak, "They told us they would not be your Gods, as they did not create you. They would have nothing to do with you. We had hoped they would take you in, be your Gods as well, but they are still angry we this did, and they refused.  
We grew angry, my beloved. Told them if they would not accept you, we did not want them to be our gods either. And so...they have destroyed us."  
"No. That is not right!"  
His face darkening with anger, he looked up at the blood-red sky, "You cannot do this! They are _your_ children, as we are theirs!"  
"They will not listen to you, beloved. You are as nothing to them."  
StrongWind made a fist, "If I ever have the power to one day face them, I will make them regret this!"  
"Do not say that!"  
"You...are the only Vangen left, Mallaki?"  
"Yes."  
"Where are the Children?"  
"We commanded them to flee. Help me up...there, to the chair."  
StrongWind picked her up, carrying her to a reclining chair, and eased her down into it.  
"Flee to where?"  
"To other worlds, other planes. StrongWind...that book...over there. Can you get it for me, please?"  
"Of course, Mallaki."  
StrongWind left her side, and moved quickly to the far side of the room, where a large tome had fallen, dust and soot covering it's cover.  
"This one, Mallaki?" He bent and picked up the book.  
She spoke behind him, voice grieved, "Forgive me, beloved."  
"Forgive you?" he asked, turning, "For what?"  
She reached out towards him, hand out, palm turned towards him, and a tiny light seemed to flicker in her palm.  
StrongWind gasped in pain, the book falling from his hands to thud heavily on the floor. He gasped out again as another burst of pain struck him.  
"I have no choice," Mallaki said, tears in her voice, "If I die now, without letting you leave these planes, you will be destroyed when they are."  
"No!" StrongWind cried out, looking up at her, his eyes wide, one hand reaching out to her, "Please! Do not turn me! Do not _bind_ me! I will die if I cannot be free!"  
Tears slipped from her eyes, and she shook her head, "You are my child. I cannot let you be destroyed. If this is the only way you can go on, then I will do so. Please, forgive me."  
StrongWind screamed in pain, doubling over, clutching his chest, sobbing. His long black hair suddenly bound, weaving itself tightly into a braid. Soft silks he had once worn became more rugged cloth. He lifted his head, agonized tears streaming from his eyes, and the familiar mark to Kagome burst into place around his eye.  
His screams continued while forces invaded his body, twisting him, marking him, giving him borders now, boundaries. Fences. Walls.  
Mallaki fell back, gasping, as StrongWind fell to the floor, shivering.  
"Forgive me..."  
"Mallaki..."  
He dragged himself over to her, using the chair to pull himself up. Tear-filled eyes sought out her face, "Mallaki?"  
She smiled, her face and eyes pale, and wearily lifted her hand. She reached out, bringing her palm to his cheek.  
StrongWind spoke, "I would rather you let me die here, with you, than become Kageri."  
"I know," she whispered, "But I cannot see my beautiful child gone. You are strong. You have always been strong, and you will survive. You will do great things."  
She smiled again, "I will always love you, my beautiful DarkWind."  
He lightly touched the back of her hand, watching as the light faded from her eyes. He reached out, and touched her face for a second, until, with a sigh, her body turned to ask, and began to drift away.  
DarkWind stood up, brushing back the tears with his arm. He looked around.  
His entire world was destroyed.  
Angrilly, he looked up, at the blood-red sky.  
"You did not deserve to have children! And you do not deserve to have anything they have left behind!"  
Furious, DarkWind lunged from the broken remains of The Spire. He flew outwards, a black comet, arcing out into the sky. One large, burning rock hurtled down at him, and yelling his anger, he burst through it, striking it head on and shattering it into a million pieces.  
When he had gotten high enough, he raised both arms over his head. His eyes were fixed on the broken Spire below.  
In the space above both his hands, a small black flame flickered into life. It spun in place, and with a whisper, began to grow. Swiftly it grew in size and circumference, spinning like a child's toy.  
It continued to grow until it was 2 feet in size. The 4. 5. Ten feet across, and still it grew. Sixteen. Twenty.  
The ball grew until it reached the size of a large car, spinning in place with a high-pitched, almost sonic sound.  
DarkWind raised his arms, and with a scream of fury, launched the ball down, towards the Spire.  
The vall continued to grow, even as it fell, and it struck the side of the Spire silently.  
The wall it struck, instantly collapsed, sending out a shower of powder. The ball continued to move, to bury itself deeper inside. The remains of the Spire shuddered, and with a groan, toppled.  
Miles of alabaster fell, crashing, roaring like thunder. Great clouds of dust went billowing outwards. Once-brilliant bits of furniture fell from the ruins, all tumbling down.  
The Spire took a while to completely collapse, and when it did, with a last groan of protest, there was a silence. Even the blackened mountains seemed aghast.  
DarkWind hovered there, looking down at the remains of the Spire with a dull look on his face. He slowly took a deep breath, and slowly let it out.  
DarkWind took one last look around him. One last look at what had been his home. His world. Now broken, burned, destroyed.  
He turned, and left it's remains behind.

The scene slowly darkened until it became black. The four watchers leaned back slightly, not sure what to say.  
Izumi spoke, "DarkWind spent a lot of time travelling through different planes before coming to these, where he would have to be bound to someone. He met other Kageri in those travels, some he was friends with, others he was not."  
Kagome leaned back a little, "That's what that man said, when he asked me if that was his name. "DarkWind." He said he he had heard about him, that I was honoured to have him as my Kageri."  
Izumi nodded, "Indeed. You not only have _a_ Kageri, Kagome. You have the eldest Child of the Vangen, the one who defended the Spire, and the last Kageri created. He is very famous in his own right. He picks few masters, because he prefers to sleep than face a world where he is bound."  
Kagome looked down at her knees, not sure what to say.  
Izumi filled the silence, "He knew that he was needed, very badly, to help, so he agreed. It is hard for Kageri to make friends, because they are always bound to their masters, and it is very rare for two people with Kageri to know one another, let alone live near each other. So when they do make friends, they are held very tightly. Loyalty is complete..." she looked at Miroku, "They will risk much for them, but to knowingly disobey...I hope you are aware what he risked for you, Miroku."  
Miroku nodded, dipping his head, his voice soft, "I do, Izumi, very much."  
The monk remembered BloodStar's voice, angry at DarkWind, and disgusted, _"This human is not of your **ket**! You act like he is family, but he is not!"_  
Miroku spoke softly, "_Ket_. Is that what they call it? Their...groups of friendship?"  
Izumi nodded slowly, "It is. You have heard of this word?"  
"I have."  
InuYasha rose, starting towards the door, "I need some air," he sounded disgusted, "I'll be back."  
He pushed back the doorflap, and every braced, but the storm had apparently passed, and the sun was shining.

He sat up on the same boulder as he had two days before, glaring out over the lake. The sun was shining off the lake, casting back sunlight like millions of diamonds. The farmers were out surveying the damage that had been done by the storm.  
He was expecting her, so wasn't surprised when he caught her scent.  
"Enjoying the sun, InuYasha?"  
He turned and looked back over his shoulder at Izumi, as she walked towards him.  
"Why the hell did you have to show us that?" he asked, face angry, "Was it important or something?"  
"I don't know, InuYasha," Izumi said gently, "Do you think it was?"  
He turned, looking back out over the lake, "What, am I supposed to feel _sorry_ for him now?"  
"That's up to you. You can, or don't have to, as is your wish. But both Amateraru and I thought it would be...informative, if nothing else, for everyone to see where he had come from. What, and who, he had been before he became Kageri. I know you had questions about that."  
"I still wish he'd just take off, leave us alone."  
"I know you do."  
She sighed, and lightly patted his shoulder, before turning, and started away again. InuYasha peered over his shoulder, and blinked. Turning to face her, he blurted, "What, you're going again?"  
Izumi looked back at him, half turning, "I was going to head back, yes. Would you like me to stay a while?"  
He turned his back to her, instantly crossing his arms, hunching down a little, "I don't care, it's up to you, go or stay, do what you want."  
Izumi smiled, completely turning, but not moving. Her voice was gentle, "If you do not care if I leave, why did you ask?"  
He shrugged, blustery, "I don't know, who cares?"  
"InuYasha."  
His ears pricked slightly, and he peered back at her. Izumi shook her head, chuckling a little, "Would you like me to stay a while? Perhaps talk?"  
He watched her uneasily, heritantly. After a second, he nodded.  
Izumi smiled, and walked forward. InuYasha scooted aside on the boulder, and Izumi perched next to him.

Miroku and Sango pushed back the small sand bags as the water level was going down.  
Sango spoke, "I hope the farmer's fields weren't too damaged."  
Miroku nodded, "Yes, I know what you mean."  
They piled up the sandbags in the corner. THe monk glanced at her, and spoke softly, "What is it, Sango, you've been glancing at me all day, as if you desperately need to talk to me."  
Sango nodded, "I do, actually. Come look at this."  
Miroku followed her to where Sango had her things packed away. The woman knelt, and rummaged for a second. Digging her hand down deep, she pulled it back out, holding onto something small, but bright. She held it out to him; an arrowhead.  
Miroku frowned, and picked it up, "That's...is that jade? White jade?"  
"It is. I found it on the ground near where you had been tied up."  
Miroku frowned as he gazed at it.  
"What are you thinking?" Sango asked.  
"I'm not sure. I know when InuYasha was fighting off BloodStar, something came between them, something white. Whatever it was, it hurt BloodStar, and he was forced to vanish. It must have been this. Apparently only White Jade can kill or harm a Kageri, unless you are another Kageri."  
Sango nodded, "That's what I was thinking. But Miroku...this arrow. I know Kagome didn't shoot it. And a jade arrow head can't be an easy thing to shoot, it's heavy."  
"Meaning someone with skill shot it."  
They looked at each other, and Sango spoke, "Why would Kikyo be here? And with White Jade weapons?"  
The monk frowned, "I don't know, and to be blunt, I don't like it."  
"Me either. Here, give me that back. We shouldn't let Kagome or InuYasha see it, not yet."  
"Agreed."


	4. Chapter 4

The days passed. The ground sucked up the water the rain had struck so hard with. The farmers were able to salvage some of their crops, and there was some hope in the air again.  
DarkWind was outside, seated on the ground. Him and Kagome were going through a large pile of bandages, bandage tape, lotions, creams and other first aid items. He was helping her put together several smaller kits that she would then give to each of them, so everyone had access to some things.  
Sango had just returned with some water to drink, when Miroku stepped out of the hut carrying his bamboo fishing pole.  
Sango grinned at him, "Going to try your luck?"  
"That lake is deep enough that there should be some good sized fish in there. No offense to you, Kagome, but it would be nice to have something fresh tonight."  
"Oh, I'm not offended in the least. Eating things from boxes, cans and cartons gets old after a while."  
"InuYasha is getting some firewood for tonight. I think, if DarkWind is feeling up to it, we can probably be off again tomorrow. I'd like to see how Kaede is doing in this drought."  
Kagome nodded.  
Miroku paused, and then spoke.  
"DarkWind?"  
"Yes, Miroku-Monk?" The Kageri looked up from his bandages. He hadn't been sure how they would treat him, after seeing his beginnings. That he had been a free spirit, and one of immense power. That in the world of the Kageri, he was not just another Kageri, he was _DarkWind_, eldest of the Children of the Vangen, Youngest of the Kageri.  
But they treated him normally.  
Well...except for the monk, who was treating him as a friend.  
"Have you even been fishing?"  
DarkWind blinked, and looked up at Miroku, "Fishing? Ah, no. My masters were not interested in fishing, and so I have never learned."  
"Would you like to?"  
DarkWind studied Miroku curiously, "I believe I would be interested, yes."  
"Come on, then, and I'll teach you."  
DarkWind blinked, "Now?"  
"Why not? I have everything we need right here, save for a worm or two."  
DarkWind looked at Kagome, who nodded, and made shooing motions with her hands.  
Smiling, the Kageri stood up, and fell in beside the Monk as they walked towards the river, "So...exactly how does one convince the worm to hold it's breath and stay on the hook, Miroku-monk?"  
Miroku's voice drifted back to them, "Uhh..well..."

Izumi folded her fan, and tucked it into a pocket in her robe. Here in the forest the air was cooler.  
_It's been so hot and dry. I suppose it's a sign of the coming war, but I wasn't expecting this, and neither, I think, was my Lady. The innocents, those not involved in this war, should not be suffering..._  
"You are deep in thought, Izumi."  
Izumi blinked, and looked up.  
Sesshomaru stood before her, tall and slender and silver, his golden gaze on her.  
"My apologies, Lord Sesshomaru, I did not see you there."  
Sesshomaru seemed unperturbed, "Did we not discuss the dangers of that already? Or are you looking to be pinned to a tree again?"  
Izumi blinked. Sesshomaru seemed put-out by something...possibly her, but she had no idea what it could be.  
"Are you troubled by something, Sesshomaru?"  
He narrowed his eyes, but looked away, "The heat is stifling."  
"Ah. Yes. It's making us all rather cranky. How is Rin?"  
Sesshomaru looked back at her, "You have been visiting InuYasha."  
Izumi blinked, "How did you know?"  
"His scent clings about you."  
Izumi blinked, then smiling, shaking her head, "I forget the power of your noses, both of you. Yes, I stopped by to visit him and his friends."  
She had been hoping he would ask after them, but was dissapointed when he did not. He seemed to study her intently, as if looking for something. Izumi began to get the odd feeling she should be doing or saying something.  
Before she could speak, he said, "You were punished by your Goddess for ...attending me." Even now he could not actually admit she had rescued him.  
Izumi blinked. She looked startled, then nodded, "Ah. Jakken."  
"Just so. Jakken." His voice was oddly edged.  
"I do hope you didn't harm him. He's a very loyal little thing, you know, and was quiet upset when I asked-"  
"And why did I need to hear this from Jakken?"  
Izumi fell silent, looking at him, confused, "I...do not understand."  
He narrowed his eyes, "You knew you would be punished. By your Goddess. Your _Amaterasu_, the one you live for, and yet you still attended me."  
"Ye-"  
"Why?"  
"Why?"  
"Can you not hear me?"  
Izumi's face darkened slightly, "Do not take that tone with me. If you have a question, ask, and let me answer!"  
There was a pause, his face returning to that impassive mask, "Very well."  
Izumi studied him for a moment, then spoke, "I didn't want you to know."  
"Why?"  
"It's not exactly something someone would like to run about bragging about, that shortly they are going to be huddled in pain. I am certain there are other topic of conversation much more pleasureable to discuss!"  
"So you were ashamed."  
Izumi blinked, "No, not that."  
_"What_, then?"  
"I was not ashamed, but...saddened. Upset. Is it truly important that we discuss this?"  
"And yet you still attended me."  
"Yes, of course."  
Silence. He continued to study her.  
Izumi watched him back, and started growing uneasy. It was a strange feeling for her...she hadn't felt like she was off her mark in a very long time.  
For his part, Sesshomaru studied her, trying to see...something. Something he could put a name to, an image around. There was something about her that drew him, both physically and spiritually. Certainly his found himself physically attracted to her...but he also found himself wishing to hear her voice, her laughter, and it was starting to drive him to distracting, trying to figure out just _what_ she had done to him. A spell? An incantation? Surely he would have felt, sensed, some kind of ritual, or spell. And she had known his father, had earned his father's friendship and trust.  
Images swamped him. The two of them, him and Izumi, walking along the path of the forest, arm in arm, as she spoke of the Shadelings and shadows. How she had blessed the Tensaiga. How she often smiled at him. Saying things that made him smile faintly...how she seemed to _amuse_ him.  
An image, of her holding onto him, granting him a gift from her Goddess, that gift being his _arm_, because he was a warrior...and would need it in the times ahead...  
How she had given him, when they had walked from his captor's place, just enough strength that he was able to walk out of there, head up, with his honour in place.  
How she had known she was going to be punished by her Goddess...and still came, knowing he was not going to join her side in this battle, but remain Neutral.  
"Sesshomaru?" Izumi's voice was unsure as he did not move, a silver statue, just gazing at her, "Is anything wrong?"  
"Wrong? No." Sesshomaru came back to himself. He glanced down at his returned arm. Not a replacement, but his own, real arm, re-grown. She could have given him anything...  
He looked back up, and walked towards her, "This War of the Twilight Lands...how goes it?"  
Izumi looked up at him as he stood before her. She was a tall woman, the top of her head coming to the tips of his ears.  
"It grows closer. Doorways will start appearing, I think, allowing Keimetsu's forces in. That, I think, is when the trouble for this world will begin."  
"I see." Sesshomaru looked into the forest, as if seeking something there. She studied his face in silence.  
After a second, he looked back at her, "You know I will remain Neutral. I will not join your Lady's side."  
Izumi nodded, "I know. You have alre-"  
"However," he said, cutting her off, removing his Tensaiga and holding it out to her, hilt first, "I offer my blade to _you_."  
Izumi blinked, backing up a step, completely silent in her shock. Sesshomaru stood there, watching her, face still impassive and calm, eyes still a cool gold.  
"Wh...what?"  
His voice was steady and calm as always, matter-of-fact. "Tensaiga is yours, when you have need of it. I will weild it if you are in need of it."  
Izumi continued to stare at him, unable to speak. For a second, she was silent, then found her voice.  
"You can't do that!"  
He slightly arced a brow, "Can't I?"  
"You...you can't offer your sword to someone who's not even involved! If you offer your sword to me, you are offering it to my Lady!"  
"No. I offer it if _you_ are in need. Not Amaterasu."  
"You can't do that!"  
"It is my sword. I am the Neutral One. I do as I wish."  
They both remained there, Sesshomaru holding out the hilt of Tensaiga, Izumi with one foot behind her, looking at the demon lord as if he was a giant preying mantis about to eat her.  
Sesshomaru looked amused, "Will you not accept?"  
"I..."  
"Surely..._Izumi_ is not afraid."  
She flushed slightly, "No, of course not! It's just...never been done, is all!"  
"Until now."  
Flustered, Izumi reached out and touched the hilt of his sword with her fingers, "I accept your offer, then, Lord Sesshomaru, though I am not sure when...or even how...I will call on your for this."  
"It does not matter, my Lady. Things happen as they will." He turned, starting away.  
Izumi spoke, "I have told you before, Lord Sesshomaru. Please do not call me "Lady". I have no claim to that title."  
Sesshomaru paused, and looked over his shoulder at her. His normally cool golden eyes seemed heated. He spoke again.  
"Things happen as they will...My Lady."  
He turned again, walking back along the path.  
Izumi blinked, watching him walk. The possessive tone in his use of the title "My Lady" startled her greatly. She watched his long silver form dissapear into the forest.  
She couldn't have heard him right. He was teasing her, was all.  
A very faint shiver ran up her spine, and she was unable to get the memory of his eyes out of her mind for quite a while.

End 


End file.
